Friday Afternoon News, Nov. 9

DNR Conducts Fish Kill At Black Hawk Lake

(Lake View) -- In an effort to improve the water quality at Black Hawk Lake, near Lake View, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is purposely killing all the fish within the lake. DNR officials were applying a fish toxicant rotenone to kill all remaining fish within the Sac County lake. Ben Wallace serves as the DNR's Fisheries Management Biologist and explains why the DNR is taking the action to kill the fish.

Listen to

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Wallace says it will be a couple of years before anglers will have the opportunity to fish at Black Hawk Lake, but he says the fishing should be better. He talks about the type of fish that will be restocked in Black Hawk. Listen to

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Will the actions of the D-N-R hurt the tourism trade this summer to Black Hawk Lake? Wallace says the lake is still popular for recreational purposes, and believes people will still come to the lake. Listen to

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The D-N-R fish biologist says the toxin will dissipate by next spring. He also says it will not harm birds or animals.

Sioux City Man Sentenced For Child Pornography

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - A 38-year-old man has been sentenced by a federal judge in Sioux City for using a child in pornography. Federal prosecutors say Dana Gleaves, formerly of Sioux City, was sentenced Wednesday to 17 1/2 years in prison. He'd pleaded guilty in August to one count of sexual exploitation of a child. Gleaves admitted that, between June 2010 and June 2011, he persuaded a person under the age of 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct so Gleaves could produce pornography. Gleaves must serve supervised release for life after he leaves custody and must register as a sex offender.

More Students Studying Science, Math, & Engineering

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Officials say more Iowa university undergraduate students are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering and math. The enrollment in those study areas at Iowa's three state universities has risen 37 percent in the past 10 years. The Governor's STEM Advisory Council - STEM for science, technology, engineering and math - has been raising awareness in school districts around the state about science-related careers. Officials say interest from female students is partly driving the growth.Growth in those career areas also has been linked to the economy, as students seek careers in promising fields. ---

USDA Lowers Crop Estimates

(Washington) -- The USDA is lowering its estimate for corn and soybean production. Iowa's corn crop is expected to yield 1.90 billion bushels which is more than 1 percent less than October and down 19 percent from last year. A soybean crop of 409 million bushels is expected for Iowa, which is more than 2.5 percent higher than the October figure but still 14 percent under last year.